


Break Out

by thegingerirritant



Series: In the Crease Series [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Gen, Hot Chocolate, Prequel, Rey is shy, We take our hot cocoa toppings seriously, minor comments of childhood trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:09:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegingerirritant/pseuds/thegingerirritant
Summary: A small one-shot where we get a glimpse of Rey's childhood growing up with Poe as a much-older cousin.Poe takes Rey to practice on the pond with Hux and Ben.
Series: In the Crease Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1459786
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Break Out

**Author's Note:**

> I had a bit of inspiration to write a small snippet of In the Crease history- long before Poe and Hux had a feud that tore their friend group apart. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Every year, she waited with bated breath. Ever since she could remember, and her recallable memory only went as far back as her first year since being placed with her dad, she waited, usually impatiently. She waited until the temperature dropped enough so that the outdoor rink and ponds could be frozen over enough to skate. 

Rey bounced up and down on the couch, waiting for her big cousin Poe to come over and take her to the pond to watch him and the boys play hockey. Poe was 17 and able to drive, which was still an awesome notion to seven-year-old Rey, which excited her even more about this particular Saturday. 

"Rey," called her father from the other room. "You forgot to grab your mittens!"

The little girl rolled her eyes. She hated wearing the mittens. She wanted to wear the gloves like Poe. "But mittens are for BABIES." 

Erix frowned at his adopted daughter, her purple fleece mittens in hand. "No, they're not, Sunshine. They're warmer than gloves and I don't want you to get cold out there. You won't have fun if you're cold."

"Sure I will!"

"Come on, Rey," he sat down on the couch to double-check all of her fastenings and layers. "If you wear the mittens, I'll make sure to have hot chocolate ready when you get home, ok?"

Rey thought for a minute, a little pout on her mouth. "Fine, but only if I get whipped cream instead of smarshshmallows! Kaydel’s mom put smarshmallows in our cocoa last week."

"Deal, no marshmallows."

She slipped the mittens on her small hands just as Poe pulled into the driveway in his white second-hand sedan. Rey scampered off of the couch and ran to shove her feet into her boots and pull on her heavy winter coat. 

"Hey," called Poe as he walked into the house. "You ready, kid?" He was dressed in his practice gear, sans pads since they were difficult to drive in. Rey hurried even faster but faltered at the zipper of her coat with her hands already covered in fleece. Her frustration at not being able to do it herself quickly showing. Poe bent down and took over, ignoring her protests. "You gotta be bundled up, kid,* which made her pout even harder. 

"Home by four," Erix said. "Dinner is here tonight." 

Poe nodded along, knowing that his dad was out of town for some Alumni Rebels fundraiser. "If the guys don't want to go home after, can I invite them over?"

"Of course, I was already planning on it," Erix waved him off. "Got a roast the size of Rey in the oven."

Poe snorted. "Alright, let's go meet the guys!" 

Happily bounding out of the house and into her cousin's car, Rey quickly tried to sit in the front seat, only to get a gentle glare from Poe. Instead, she crawled into the back where a booster seat was buckled in as a permanent fixture since Rey's adoption was made official and Poe got his license in the same month the previous year. She clicked her own belt into place as Poe climbed into the front

"Alright, kid," Poe grunted. "You buckled?"

"Yep."

"Alright, what are we listening to?" 

"Green Day!"

"Excellent."

And they jammed the whole ride over to the practice pond. 

The pond was only a short ride from the Damerons' neighborhood, in a park only inhabited by other kids during the warmer months. Pulling into the parking lot, Rey could make out the old car Poe's friends rode in, though she never knew if it belonged to Ben or Hux. They always drove together. 

The other two teenage boys were already on the ice warming up. Rey unbuckled herself and bounded out of the car. "Wait up, kid!" her cousin yelled after her, gathering up his pads and sticks. She stopped and turned to see him struggling to juggle his equipment. "A little help?" he asked before she bounded back to happily carry his extra sticks. 

Ben and Hux had cleared away a spot on the blacktop nearby. Benches and picnic tables littered the area but hadn't been touched other than the bench closest to the frozen pond. Poe ushered her over towards it, setting his duffle down with the others before pulling his practice jersey off to replace it with his pads.

Poe was the only one to wear more than elbow and knee pads, knowing how bad shoulder injuries could be from his father's experience, Kes having to miss most of his games anymore and having been through two surgeries throughout his playing career- the first one being the year that Poe was born and made raising a newborn rather difficult. All three wore helmets, even if they were unlatched at the chin. 

"About damn time, Dameron," Hux yelled as he and Ben finished a few laps around the pond. 

"Little ears are present, Hugs!" Poe yelled back. Hux rolled his eyes and took back off down the length of the ice. "Hey, Ben!" Ben, always the quiet one of the three nodded and waved as he pulled himself up off the ice to take a drink from the water bottle nestled in a snowbank. 

Rey began kicking the snow around the pre-cleaned bench. She began to plan out a snow fort that she could build around the bench, using the already built structure as the base just as she used to in the dumpster she was found in. She didn’t remember too much from that time, but she did remember that she liked building shelters, using the resources around her, so she happily continued to build forts everywhere she could. She liked having a small cozy space for herself. 

The boys warmed up with Poe quickly, racing across the pond a few times, much to Hux’s impatience. Ben seemed to like warming up more than scrimmaging when it was just the three of them, but Hux always wanted to get right to the game. Poe was just along for the ride, just happy to be on the ice and hanging out with his friends. 

Once Poe felt warmed up enough, they began their 2-on-1 games, all trading places every goal even though Hux played goalie, Ben played defense, and Poe played forward on their high school varsity team currently. Ben didn’t like playing defense, though. But he knew it was where the team needed him the most right now, with Poe being a star forward so he didn’t complain too often- at least not to the coach. They were happy to rotate, though, getting to play different positions would only help their game in the long run. 

They played for hours, rotating about twenty times, or so it seemed to Rey. It only took her a half an hour to build her snow fort and she watched from under the bench- the seat acting as the roof. Being a tiny seven-year-old, she still fit in tight places comfortably (much to her father’s dismay). 

A beeping noise came from one of the boy’s duffle bags. Rey knew it to be her cousin’s digital watch, letting him know it was almost time to go home for dinner. 

“Poe!” Rey called in her small voice. “Watch!” 

“Ok!” He called back as Hux slid a goal past him. Hux was a little angry at the idea of having to go home and Ben just shuffling along in an almost daze, sad to be going home to an empty house like Poe would be. “Lucky shot, Hugs! We should pack it up. Erix is making dinner.” The other two perked up. “I think he said he was making a roast.”

Ben nodded, taking one last lap around the pond while Poe and Hux moved to sit atop Rey’s fort and switch their skates for boots, and pulled their pads off to shove into their duffles. 

“Alright, Rey,” Poe huffed as he pulled on his second boot to tie. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Rey quietly answered, always shy around Hux and Ben, even though she was always hanging out around them with her cousin. 

“Then let’s get going!”

She scrambled out from her fort only to bump into Ben who was about to sit down to take off his own skates. He was already a very large teenage boy, over six feet tall and Rey was still considered very small for her age. She looked up at him, her neck craning at a 90-degree angle just to see his face. She let out a high-pitched “meep!” as he steadied her by the shoulders. “Woah there, kid,” he said softly. “You ok?” 

Rey nodded quickly before shuffling off to follow her cousin back to the car and quickly climbed herself into her booster seat and buckled in before Poe had even loaded his gear, face beat red in embarrassment and fear. She was going to have to hide in her room until the boys left that evening.

She stayed quiet the whole ride home. Poe kept checking on her via the rearview mirror, thinking that she might just be over hungry or tired from playing in the snow for a few hours. Once they pulled into the driveway, Rey rushed inside. She stripped off her snow gear as she entered the house, throwing it everywhere.

“Hey, Sunshine,” Erix chimed as Rey ran into the kitchen. “Have fun with the boys?”

“Sure.” Erix frowned at his normally expressive child. “Can I have some cocoa?” she asked as she climbed into her normal barstool at the kitchen counter. 

“Of course,” her dad nodded. “Where are the boys?” Rey shrugged even though Erix had his back turned to her while he grabbed a few mugs out of the cupboard. He had a crockpot full of hot cocoa cooking next to the stove, knowing Rey would demand more than one cup. 

“Rey! You left everything all over!” Poe called as he came through the front door. “Come and pick your coat up!” 

“But I’m drinking cocoa!” she called back, as Erix started to hand her the cup of hot liquid but pulled it back, an eyebrow raised at her audacity. “Hey!” she pouted. 

Erix gave her a stern look. “Go clean up your things before cocoa.”

Rey huffed and jumped off the stool to take care of her winter gear. Poe handed her hangers from the front closet as he hung his own coat up for her own coat and snow bibs. 

As soon as Rey had finished hanging her snow bibs and handing the hanger to Poe, his friends walked through the door. 

“Oh, fuck, that smells amazing!” Hux gasped, sniffing the air as Ben took off his boots. 

“Hugs!” Poe snapped at the ginger for the second time that day. “Little ears and adults present!”

Hux rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Dameron.” 

“Not, whatever, Hux,” Ben spoke up. “You could be a little more respectful.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Solo,” Hux sighed and took his own boots and coat off quickly and shoved his coat at Poe to hang up for him. 

“Shut it, Hux.”

“Hey, kids!” Erix called from the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready in about half an hour. I’ve got some hot cocoa in here if you need a warm-up.” 

Rey scampered away from the boys to get her promised up of cocoa- whipped cream included. Her favorite mug- a large, red cup with a handle that fit both of her hands comfortably- was waiting for her with a heaping top of whipped cream. 

The three teenagers followed closely behind her. “I could use a cup of cocoa with some whipped cream,” Poe said. “You guys?”

“You got any marshmallows?” Hux asked. 

Rey made a face at the question, only Ben seeing and smirking at her reaction. “I’ll have some, too, but whipped cream. I’m not a sociopath.”

Hux rolled his eyes, “What does liking marshmallows in hot chocolate have to do with being a sociopath?”

“Everything,” Poe replied, seriously. “We take our hot cocoa toppings seriously in this family, Hugs.”

“Then why do you have marshmallows to begin with?” Hux asked incredulously as Poe pulled a bag of large fluffy mallows from the pantry. 

“S’mores,” came Erix’s quick reply as he mashed potatoes by hand. “We make them in the fireplace.” The boys sat around the small table in the dining area next to the kitchen, sipping their cups once Poe had them assembled. “So, how was practice?”

“It was good.”

“Just good?”

“Yeah,” Poe shrugged, wiping away a whipped cream mustache. 

“Alright,” Erix tried again. “How’s school going?”

“Fine.”

“Ok,” the older man rolled his eyes. “How about you two? Anything fun going on?”

The two other teenage boys grunted and shrugged. 

“Fine, Rey?” Third time’s the charm, right? “What did you do today at the pond?”

“Built a fort,” she said quietly into her cup. 

“Oh? How big was it?” Erix smiled, finally getting a conversation out of one of them. 

“I used the bench,” she shrugged. 

“It was pretty impressive,” Poe remarked. “I don’t know how she comes up with her designs. I think you have a little architect on your hands.”

“I dunno,” Hux smirked. “I mean, my mom always talked about me becoming a lawyer like my dad because of how much we argued. But I definitely don’t want to be some asshole lawyer.”

“Language,” Poe sang. 

Ben shifted in his seat, “You know, you’d probably be good at that job. Since you manage to get teachers to give you extensions and change your grades whenever possible.”

“You know you all benefit from it,” Hux argued. “And that’s not arguing, it's sucking up.”

“Like that’s any better,” Poe snorted. 

“Oh, you’re one to talk!” Ben rolled his eyes. “ ‘Oh, Miss Pritchett, that dress is ravishing. I’m so sorry I didn’t have a chance to do the reading!’ “

Hux laughed and played along with a high falsetto: “ ‘Oh, Mr. Dameron, that’s perfectly fine. Just make sure to take notes.’ “ He added an eyelash flutter for emphasis. 

“I can’t help it if teachers find me dashing and charismatic, boys!” Poe guffawed theatrically. 

“It’s the Dameron Curse, I’m afraid,” Erix chimed in, shaking his head. “Even little Rey here charms everyone she meets.”

“I’m not little!” Rey piped up. “And I’m adop-dead! I’m not a real Dam-ron.”

“Au contraire, Rey-rey,” Poe leaned over to ruffle the hair on her head. “You wouldn’t have ended up with us if you weren’t Dameron material. It was meant to be, whether you like it or not.”

“But she isn’t annoying,” Ben said. “That’s the main difference.” Poe laughed, Hux rolled his eyes, and Rey blushed and continued to sip out of her mug, even though it was already empty. 

“I dunno,” Poe teased. “You guys don’t see her when she’s all hopped up on sugar. Though, if she keeps sucking down that hot cocoa you might get a show.”

“Come on, Poe,” his uncle chastised, noticing Rey’s demeanor change ever so slightly. “Don’t tease.” Erix gave his nephew a knowing look. 

Poe did a double-take to check on the little girl. She was still acting quieter than normal and was pushing away her mug slightly in embarrassment. 

Even though it had been years and she was fairly comfortable around all of the people the Dameron men surrounded themselves with, Rey was known to still clam up now and again in front of people, especially in large groups- she had an especially difficult time in school now that she was in first grade and having to stay at school for a whole day. She didn’t have a hard time making friends, Erix was right about that. However, Rey preferred to blend in with her friends. She even decided that she wanted her hair styled like the other little girls in her class (a simple ponytail, as opposed to the three buns Poe had done once to be silly, but that Rey had fallen in love with and demanded her father recreate most mornings). 

“Hey, the Droids versus Falcons game starts soon,” Ben changed the subject. “Can we pull it up on the TV?”

Erix nodded and the boys scooted into the living room, leaving Rey and her dad in the kitchen to finish up dinner. He quietly worked while Rey sat there in her thoughts. 

“Daddy?” she finally spoke up. “Am I annoying?”

“Of course not, Sunshine,” Erix quickly cooed. “Poe was just being silly and teasing. It wasn’t very nice, though.”

“Oh.”

She stayed silent for another few minutes. 

“Daddy?”

“Rey?”

“Can I have more hot cocoa?”

“How about after dinner?”

“Ok. Can I have some water?”

“Of course.”

“Can I take it in livin’ room?”

“Sure. Are you going to watch the game with the boys?”

Rey pondered for a moment. “No, I’m going to color.”

Erix smiled at his little girl, handing her a cup of water. “Ok, tell the boys about fifteen minutes until dinner is ready, please?”

“Yep,” she scampered off to the next room to hang out with some of her favorite people. 

~

“So, Rey,” her teacher, Mr. Bridger turned to her after Kaydel finished talking about her weekend at her grandparents’ house. “How was your weekend? Did you get to do anything fun?”

Rey nodded, already feeling bashful. “I watched hockey.” 

“Oh, that does sound fun,” Mr. Bridger encouraged. “What teams were playing.”

“No teams,” she said, feeling a little more confident. “My cousin and his friends practiced at the pond while I built a fort. Poe can drive, so it was just us.” A few of her classmates looked at her in awe. 

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Mr. Bridger smiled. “Now how about you, Louis? How was your weekend?”

Rey smiled to herself and listened to the rest of their class share as they did every Monday. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
